The Opinionator

Summer of '87 and The Psychedelic Furs; A Wonderful Time Was Had by All

I was just flipping through the channels and came upon VH-1 Classic, the network that not only still plays videos but the bulk of them are classics from the 1980's. The video that was playing as I tuned in was "Heartbreak Beat" by The Psychedelic Furs and I was immediately transported back to a perfect evening during the Summer of 1987. That night, I was at the San Diego State University Outdoor Amphitheatre watching the Furs on the tour supporting "Midnight to Midnight," the album that contained "Heartbreak Beat." What a magical experience. They were terrific that night; the crowd was large and enthusiastic, the weather perfect and a pretty girl was on my arm. My thanks to Richard Butler and The Furs for a wonderful memory. They are touring and I recommend you catch them if they come to a venue near you.....I will!

Update: I went to The Furs fan website which has a listing of all the dates they have played and realized that the concert I attended was actually on May, 22 1987; late Spring instead of Summer. In any event, I always think of the Summer of '87 when I hear The Furs. It was an amazing concert and a great time to be alive!

I Thought the War in Afghanistan Was Over, Nancy Pelosi Said So!

It has been confirmed that an US Army MH-47 Chinook helicopter has been shot down in Afghanistan with the loss of all sixteen service members aboard. I cannot understand how this is possible. Just the other day Nancy Pelosi declared the War in Afghanistan over.

Is it any wonder that the judgment, if not the patriotism, of liberals is in question?

Michell Malkin has further information.

On a serious note, the thoughts and prayers of The Opinionator and family go out to the loved ones of those who gave all for their country.

Time to Show Your Support for our Troops

In the midst of the campaign by liberals to get us to cut and run in Iraq led by Senator Kennedy's quagmire comments and the idiocy of Dick Durbin, the troops we have in harm's way need to know that we are in their corner.

Per General Abizaid:

On Sunday, Gen Abizaid said Americans needed to be patient. “We need to know we have got support back home,” he said on CNN. “We need to know that the people are with us.”

It is a damn shame that we have come to this, letting the usual suspects try to pull the rug out from under a new generation of warriors like they did to my father and the rest that served in Vietnam. Show your support and be sure to pass this along. Visit sites like Media Slander or Blackfive to find out the different ways you can help support our troops and their mission. If we fail, we fail them.

Flag-Burning Amendment is a Bad Idea

The House of Representatives has passed an Amendment that would make it a crime to desecrate the American flag. I oppose this Amendment as surprisingly as it may seem to some. Frankly, the freedom to burn the very symbol of our freedom is the ultimate freedom. It is a test of how free we really are. Do not get me wrong, I have a huge problem with ingrate's that burn the flag. However, I support their right to do so as much as it offends and disgusts me.

Update: Mark Steyn says what I was alluding to in a much more eloquent way.

Excerpt:

A flag has to be worth torching. When a flag gets burned, that's not a sign of its weakness but of its strength. If you can't stand the heat of your burning flag, get out of the superpower business.

Hat Tip: Powerline.

Coalition of the Willing Pics; Hooaah!

Chrenkoff has some great pictures of troops from the many nations represented in Iraq. So much for unilateral, eh John Kerry? Be sure to read the story associated with the El Salvadoran unit picture. Hats off to all of you.

Hat tip: Blackfive.

Bolton Blocked Again; Frist Must Go

In yet another example of democrat obstructionism and poor leadership by Senator Frist, the nomination of John Bolton to be Ambassador of the UN has been blocked. I call on President Bush to follow through with his threat to appoint Bolton during the Senate recess. I also call on Senator Frist to resign his post as Senate majority leader and stand fast on my pledge not to give any money to any Republicans until they start acting like a majority and begin to make things happen. Elections have meaning and if Senate Republicans do not understand that, they deserve to be in the minority.

Update: Welcome to readers of The Fargus Report. While we likely do not agree on much politically, I like to be a good host and welcome you to my humble abode. In response to Fargus' posting, yes, I do think that the democrats are basically the party of "No" at this time. However, the thrust of my post was to call for Senator Frist to step down as he has not been able to keep his caucus in line. I expect the democrats, being in the minority, to use whatever tactical means they have to block policy. That is what a minority party does, use tactics such as the filibuster to make up for the fact that they cannot convince the American people to buy into their agenda. In fact, Fargus acknowledges that the democrats are engaged in an effort to block the Republicans policy proposals. However, he calls it "defense" and "survival." However, that is just semantics. Whether you call it "defense," "survival" or obstructionism, it amounts to the same thing. The one objection I have regarding use of  the filibuster is on Judicial nominees. This was unprecedented in our Republic's history and clearly an abuse of Senate rules and despite the protestations of Harry Reid, not something enshrined by the Founding Father's in any way. It is merely a Senate rule that was being abused.

What should be worrisome for democrat voters is that there is not much of an agenda being pursued by the congressional democratic leadership. They have chose to put their heads in the sand on Social Security in hopes of winning in 2008 at which point they will re-discover  the problems with it  identified by the Clinton administration. On John Bolton, they will continue to pursue additional classified intercepts to use for their fishing expedition for information to use against the nominee. They will also  use the language of Vietnam to try and erode support for the war, (and with it the parallel support for our troops). However, being the party of "no" is hardly a winning electoral strategy. But that is their problem. My concern is with the Republican leadership which has been ineffective. As I said in my original post, if the Republicans in the Senate cannot learn to govern as a majority, they deserve to be in the minority. At which point, we can return the favor to the Dem's.

Dick Durban; #2 Democrat, # 1 Ass!

By now you have probably heard of Dick Durban's slanderous comments regarding Gitmo and our military. First of all, it was not torture, it was a bit uncomfortable. Heck, I have seen tougher interrogations on NYPD Blue! Complaining about the A/C being turned on and off is not a winning strategy for the Dem's. Ask some of our soldiers about how well the A/C works in a Bradley, M-1 or Amtrak. (hint: there isn't any A/C in them). If our guys can sweat it out in their fighting vehicles while it is 120 temperatures outside, the captives at Gitmo sure as hell can!

Second,  no one died. So we are only several million short of being Nazi's, Commies or Khmer Rouge. This guy is an asshat. And he is the number two democrat in the Senate.

Mark Steyn sums this up much better than I do as does John Kass. Go have a read and then contact YOUR Senator and ask for a censure of Mr. Durban.

Hat Tip: Hugh Hewitt and Media Slander.

The Dutch to EU: "Hell No!"

The Dutch voted on the EU Constitution today and not only did they say no, they said "Hell No!" Overwhelmingly they rejected the pact by a 62-38 margin. Perhaps this will finally get the EU gang to realize that Europeans do not wish to be under the boot of an unelected and unaccountable bureaucracy. This quote pretty much sums it up,

"In principle, I'm against bureaucracy and I don't believe everything is working well now."

Of course, it appears that not everyone got the message.

German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer said EU leaders needed to analyze what went wrong, but said they should press on. "This is not the end of the process for the constitution and not at all the end of European integration," he said

That kind of comment makes you wonder what it will take to slay this vampire of an agreement.

The Opinionator Sez...This Song Kicks Ass!

I finally heard the Foo Fighter's song, "Best of You" all the way through and was blown away. Love the power, energy and lyrics. This will definitely be on my Rio listening and, especially, workout mixes.

Foo Fighters - Best of You

I’ve got another confession to make
I’m your fool
Everyone’s got their chains to break
Holdin’ you

Were you born to resist or be abused?
Is someone getting the best, the best, the best, the best of you?
Is someone getting the best, the best, the best, the best of you?

Are you gone and onto someone new?
I needed somewhere to hang my head
Without your noose
You gave me something that I didn’t have
But had no use
I was too weak to give in
Too strong to lose
My heart is under arrest again
But I break loose
My head is giving me life or death
But I can’t choose
I swear I’ll never give in
I refuse

Is someone getting the best, the best, the best, the best of you?
Is someone getting the best, the best, the best, the best of you?
Has someone taken your faith?
Its real, the pain you feel
You trust, you must
Confess
Is someone getting the best, the best, the best, the best of you?
Oh…

Oh…Oh…Oh…Oh…

Has someone taken your faith?
Its real, the pain you feel
The life, the love
You die to heal
The hope that starts
The broken hearts
You trust, you must
Confess

Is someone getting the best, the best, the best, the best of you?
Is someone getting the best, the best, the best, the best of you?

I’ve got another confession my friend
I’m no fool
I’m getting tired of starting again
Somewhere new

Were you born to resist or be abused?
I swear I’ll never give in
I refuse

Is someone getting the best, the best, the best, the best of you?
Is someone getting the best, the best, the best, the best of you?
Has someone taken your faith?
Its real, the pain you feel
You trust, you must
Confess
Is someone getting the best, the best, the best, the best of you?
Oh…

Yeah, love it!